Centenary of Armistice: A soldier’s tour in pictures

One hundred years ago people around the world celebrated the end of the First World War. The

Armistice was signed at 11am on 11 November 1918.

After the Second World War, Armistice Day became Remembrance Day, a time to commemorate

soldiers from all conflicts.

Ipswich local Arthur Bennett (pictured) served in the First World War, he was one of thousands of soldiers who ignored military rules, carrying a camera to capture his experiences during his war service.

In 1909, Arthur Bennett began working at the Queensland Railways in Ipswich as an apprentice fitter. In 1915 he volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The AIF were raised for overseas war service in 1914 and were a separate and purely volunteer army.

Mr Bennett became a drill instructor, rising to the rank of Sergeant-Major in the 4th Pioneer Battalion.

The battalion consisted largely of volunteers drawn from Queensland and Mr Bennett served with many other Ipswich men in his unit. While they were trained as infantrymen they were also tasked with engineer functions with a large number of soldiers possessing trade qualifications from their civilian life.

Mr Bennett was wounded twice in Belgium from gas and mortar attacks and he spent two years in hospital recovering from his injuries. These injuries continued to burden him for the rest of his life.

A keen photographer, Mr Bennett took many pictures of his larrikin mates that he called ‘the Ipswich lads’.

Australian soldiers having a snow fight.

Australian soldiers posing with snowman.

Australian soldiers bathing off the side of the ship.

Australian soldiers posing in a garden in Tisbury, England.

Upon returning to Australia, Mr Bennett went back to work for Queensland Rail. He retired as foreman of the Westinghouse Brake Shop at the Ipswich Railway Workshops after working 51 years in the railways.

The Workshops Rail Museum has a collection of souvenirs, shrapnel, postcards, medals and photographs that Mr Bennett brought back with him from the war.

These images and more are on display (pictured) as part of the Glass Plates & Rail Justice exhibition at The Workshops Rail Museum.